Shards of Memories
by Pegasicorn
Summary: Many lives are lost in Naraku's search for the remaining jewels shards, and those who remain after his attack are forever scarred by haunting memories. Inuyasha and his friends are constantly reminded of this... Rated for adult language.
1. 1 27 05 Encounter

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Disclaimer: ::takes out megaphone:: I wish I did, but I don't own it!! ::sqeeeeeaaaakkk:: O 0 …Ow… X.x

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A/N: Konniciwa, minna-san! I'm Pegacorn, but you already knew that, nee? ;) I know I shouldn't be starting a new fic again so soon, but it's just that… I had this rabid plot-bunny that refused to stop jumping around in my mind until it got written. So I complied with its wishes and voila! "Shards of Memories" is born! I've actually had this idea for over two months now, it's just that I hadn't figured out the plot so much until this month. XD I really need to write more for my Yu Yu fic, "Awakening Spirits", but wouldn't you know it? I got hit by the dreaded disease known as…dun dun dun! WRITER'S BLOCK! O O; Run for your lives!! Before it gets you! …Uh…don't mind me; I'm a bit high on sugar right now from too much hot cocoa. XD So I'll just let you read the fic, now…

Enjoy!

Shards of Memories

Ch1: Encounter

__

The flames were raging, devouring everything in their path…

Smoke filled the air --choking the lungs; burning the eyes--, numbing the senses…

"Suiren!" A male voice called out in desperation.

Where was she? Could it be that she had…

'No!' He shook his head, abruptly cutting off that thought. He didn't want to believe that. He refused_ to believe that…_

Quickening the speed of his gait, the male continuously fought through the billows of clouds in his search.

"Suiren! …Suirennnn!!"

A pair of orbs snapped open at an approaching noise.

"Kagome, are you _sure_ it's this way?" There was a voice, masculine in tone.

"I'm positive." Another voice – a female this time – answered the first. "One shard; and it's not too far ahead."

The figure's relaxed form tensed into a crouch on the branch he was lounging on.

He could sense it. A group of travelers…headed in his direction! A hand reached up to rest upon the crystal sliver hanging from his throat. Did they know about his shard?

__

'…But how…?'

He could not help but grow wary as the approaching group grew closer.

Readying himself, he prepared to make his move, keeping his hands within reach of his blades should he need to draw. Without knowing what he'd come across, it was best to keep apprehensive of anything. Perhaps he should try to assess their number before they got too close…? If it proved too overwhelming, he'd best flee. Until he knew, though…

He decided he'd wait a few moments, listening as the travelers steadily came nearer.

__

SMACK!

He flinched at that, the sound of flesh hitting flesh meeting his ears, followed by the yelling of _"Hentai!"_ in a feminine voice – a voice completely different from the first female. That brought the number up to three…

"You letch! Why can't you ever keep your hands to yourself?!"

A male answered her, "But, my dear Sango, this cursed hand has a mind of its own. I can't always control it!" making the tally become four…

"Then learn to, Monk!"

"Keh. It'll be a cold day in hell before he does." The first male spoke again in slight amusement.

"I think I actually agree with Inuyasha on this one…"

He blinked in perplexity. Was that…a child?

He heard the second male sigh in defeat.

But…_a child_? He did not want to have to fight if there were children present. If he'd ended up hurting them, he could never forgive himself.

With a silent sigh, the figure relaxed his hands, dropping them away from his weapons.

Looked like he'd be playing neutral this time.

With that in mind, he tensed his legs, preparing to spring from the branch and head off.

At least…that was the plan…

"Oi, Kagome, how much farther is that shard?"

Alighting cat-like on his feet upon the ground, he silently jogged along the forest floor, away from the oncoming group. He was hoping to make a quick getaway, so as to not be seen by the strangers.

"It's in the clearing up ahead – no, wait! Now, it's moving!"

He had to sigh in frustration after hearing that, hastening his jogging to a sprint… They were persistent, weren't they?

"WHAT?! Well, which way is it!? Quick – before it gets away!"

"It's straight ahead!"

One of the pairs of footsteps broke away from the rest, sprinting at incredible speed. And they were _headed right for him!_ How did they know where he was? They hadn't seem him, yet…had they?

But, now he had no choice. He had to stand and fight; there was no way he'd be able to outrun his pursuer at the rate they were moving. He mentally groaned. He _really_ didn't want to do this…but they'd left him no other option.

__

'They brought this on themselves then…But if the young one with them ends up getting injured…' He spun around, skidding to a halt in order to face his hunter. _'Then the blame is on them for having a child with them in the first place.'_ With that thought, he dropped into a defensive stance, hands at the ready to draw his weapons should a battle erupt…

---

About to burst through the last few bushes, the red-clad hanyou mentally prepared himself for battle. He expected to face a demon. One with fangs, claws, tentacles, fur, maybe even horns. What he did _not_ expect to find, just as he jumped out from the foliage clutching his katana's handle…

…was what appeared to be…

Barely halting himself from his mad dash via skidding in the dirt and leaves – pointed dog-ears swiveling – , gold eyes landed on the unfamiliar person…

…a male _human_…

He blinked. _'The…**hell**??'_ Inuyasha's mouth gaped open in confusion. And he would have stayed that way, too, until he noticed the pinkish gleam above the other's chest. He lowered his brows, unsure of what to make of the situation. Here this guy was, in possession of a shard – maybe more than one – that the half-demon's group of friends were hunting down, collecting them by any means necessary, which included killing off evil beings. But, the catch was, they didn't kill _humans_, of which this being appeared to be. The inu-hanyou couldn't even smell if that was true, though! It was too hard to tell at this distance, with the wind blowing away from him. There'd be no way to pick up his scent, so he had to go by his eyes.

Inuyasha shook his head as though to clear it. This situation was so difficult to judge, he couldn't even keep his thoughts straight! …Thinking wasn't his best forte, anyway. He was more into the "attack now, ask questions later" type of strategy… So what if that led to problems more often than not? It got things moving…

"Inuyasha," Kagome appeared at his side, dragging her pink bike along with her with the fox-cub Shippo lounging in the basket, panting a bit after her dash to catch up with him, "what's wrong? Did you find the…" That's when she caught sight of the stranger. "…shard…?" Blinking, she trailed off her statement.

__

'A human…?' That's what he appeared to be, at least. In the dappled, shadowed light the forest provided, she could barely make out much detail. From what she _could _tell, though, he was a blonde-haired boy, looking to be not much older than Kagome herself. His locks were kept tied in a tail ending just below the shoulder with a black strip of cloth, matching his outfit made up of a pair of black hakama pants – though they weren't as baggy as the average pair – and black gi, which seemed to have had the sleeves torn off at the shoulder, turning the jacket-shirt into a vest of sorts. This probably served to improve movement, but she couldn't be sure. He wore a strange belt at his waist, of a golden-brown almost like his hair, and patterned in…leopard spots…? That was just weird. It didn't even seem to hold a purpose, either; it just…was there… Furry, even, as if it were a _real_ tail-turned-fashion-accessory. But she had to admit that even though it was odd, it wasn't _nearly_ as odd as that fluffy thing Sesshoumaru carried… The most eye-catching detail about him, though, had to be his eyes. A brilliant blue, almost as if someone had cut out two pieces of the sky to craft them; even in the poor illumination, she could easily see this. Kagome might've gotten lost in their depths had she not felt the tug on her consciousness, reminding her of the reason she was in this forest in the first place…

Her eyes caught the glow just below his throat, and widened in realization. _'The shard!' _It seemed their target had been _this_ individual. But…that couldn't be right! …Could it…? It had to be, though, because there was the Shikon shard, clear as day, hanging from a silver chain at the guy's neck. …But…why would a human have one? The only humans who ever obtained them were usually those who planned to use them for evil – they'd come across a few like that before – , those who wished to use them for good – a rarity nowadays – or merely to keep them out of wrongdoers' hands – such as they were doing – , or because they were ignorant of what they really were and simply kept them out of sentimentality.

This man could fit into _any one _of those categories. They had no way to find out, either, without talking to him. And, by the look of things – the stranger and Inuyasha were locked in a glaring contest, in battle-stances, ready to spring at so much as the word "go" – it didn't seem that'd be happening too soon.

And with the entire group of shard-hunters standing in this small clearing, this could get dangerous for _all_ of them.

---

And…it's a cliffy! XD Evil? Yes. Common of me? _Very_ yes! X) …I don't care that that was bad grammar? Damn straight! XD

Okers. Now, me must go to bed, or else me feel dead in school tomorrow… ::swirly eyes:: Almost 11...I'll only get 6 ½ hours… T T;

Well, ja ne then.

-Peg


	2. 6 27 05 Evasion Attempts

**Disclaimer** I do not own Inuyasha... -.- But I _do_ own a Sesshou plush! (glomps plushy) X)

**A/N:** (nervously looks at readers) Um...don't hurt me? (sweatdrops) (sees various weapons being raised) OO; Oh, shit... AHHHH! (runs) I asked you not to hurt me! (hides behind barracade) Ok! I'm sorry, alright! I got hit with writer's block! Yes, it lasted 5 months! Again, gomen! It's actually 5:30 right now...and I haven't gone to sleep yet! XD For reasons unknown, I'm feeling hyper. Oo; Weirdy much. I'll let you read the fic now, 'kers?

As always, enjoy!

Shards of Memories

Ch2: Evasion Attempts

He didn't know what to make of this. Here he'd been, minding his business, catching a quick nap in the stillness of this forest, when _these people_ had the gall to show up out of the blue, single him out somehow, and confront him!

He didn't like the looks those two in the front were giving him, either… Especially the first one…a male… One who appeared to be _demon-blooded_, at that. This was easy to see, with him having silver hair, dog ears, and those slit-pupils in his golden eyes. Eyes of which were currently glaring, reflecting his battle-ready position of hand over hilt. He was ready to attack. Attack _why_, though, he could only guess. The best hypothesis being…_he wanted his shard_…

In fact, the entire group that had gathered—6 individuals, if one included the cream-colored cat on that young woman's shoulder—seemed to be staring at the pinkish sliver.

It was…a bit unnerving, really… And he didn't know why, but there was something strange about this group. They were such an odd assortment of people…

There was a young woman carrying a gravity-defying boomerang on her back—he didn't know _how_ she could carry that thing, it looked so heavy!—with that little cat still sitting on her shoulder… He just noticed, though; it had _two tails!_ He blinked. _'It's a demon, then…'_

Next to her, stood a young monk, dressed in black and purple robes and carrying a staff, with his black hair tied back in a short ponytail. He noticed, with amusement, the large handprint on his cheek… _'So, he was the one that got smacked, nee?'_ Somehow he managed to hold back the grin that threatened to crack his face. Had to remain serious when being confronted, after all…

Then, there was that dog-eared boy—who yet to remove his eyes from the crystal—, dressed in a red haori and hakama. An off-white gi was barely visible at the collar and through the slits in his clothes. Right now, he gripped the black sheathe of his katana tightly, as if urging to draw it.

At his side had to be the most incongruous of the whole party. She was a teenage girl, dressed in the shortest kimono he'd ever seen… It consisted of a green, pleated bottom, and a white…shirt of some sort, with a collar of the same shade as the bottom…with a red…cloth… He just didn't know what to make of it.

"Hey, guys? Why are you just staring?" Every one of them seemed to jump, turning their attention to girl's strange contraption briefly.

Now was his chance! Making sure they weren't looking, he took out a dark-colored sphere, threw it on the ground, and was off, a cloud of smoke rising in his wake, temporarily hiding him from their senses. Just before the cloud was too thick, his blue orbs briefly singled out the form of a young child, sitting in the basket of that device. Only, the thing was…he had a puffed-up tail…

This surprised him. _'The young one was a demon? …Stranger group than I thought…'_ His thoughts got cut short when suddenly, the white-haired youkai leapt over the dust, wielding a giant sword in the shape of a fang!

"Nani!" he yelped.

His chaser hit the ground running, bent on catching up with him. "Oi! Get back here!"

_'I don't think so!'_ he mentally answered, gaze narrowing briefly. Instead, he just quickened his pace, searching out a suitable means of escape…or at least evasion. Whichever he could do.

All he could see around, though, were trees. Lots and lots of trees on all sides… But wait! His eyes widened as an idea came. Maybe he could use that… Yea, it just might work!

Approaching one specific, tall tree in particular, he picked up his speed even more, reaching into his gi for the necessary items needed to accomplish this. His hand returned with two kunai, the deadly blades long and sharp.

He smirked. _'Perfect!'_

---

Inuyasha got confused when the stranger suddenly decided to start running towards a tree, and instead of stopping or slowing down, _he sped up_!

'What the hell…? Does he have a death wish or something?'

He was surprised even more when, all of a sudden, the blond jumped straight into the air at the base of the tree, and as if _that_ wasn't enough, began to run _vertically_ up the side of it!

"The hell!"

---

His momentum wearing off, he reached the stopping point, doing the only thing he could think of to stop any possible descent…

He jammed both kunai into the bark…and held on for dear life…

There weren't any branches around this section of the tree. This had been the reason he'd chosen it; without branches, the tree would be difficult to climb, it would be difficult to get to him and, thus, he was safe…for now, at least.

Glancing over his shoulder, he assessed how high he had traveled.

"Whoa…" he breathed out in shock. He'd gone much farther up than he'd thought he would. Must've gotten some good speed on that one! But it didn't seem that'd be enough. The dog-eared fellow had reached the bottom of his tree, and didn't look too happy. He was currently muttering curses not fit for young ears, obviously unsure of how to reach his prey, and it appeared to be irking him, too!

It was a bit nerve-wracking… He turned azure orbs skyward again. Perhaps he shouldn't stay in one spot for too long…? Nope. He shouldn't. Especially not in such a vulnerable position as now! But those branches up there seemed promising. Now, to get to them…

Securing nimble fingers around each blade, he psyched up the nerve required…

Firmly grasping the right kunai, with a swift movement it was freed from the wood, only to be re-stuck just a few feet higher. Repeating this pattern with the left dagger, he slowly began to scale the tree, being sure to use his feet to help propel himself a bit faster and to remain balanced.

It was tedious work, but it got the task done, for, soon enough, he'd finally reached a suitable limb.

Swinging onto the branch, the knives were pocketed—within easy reach, of course; just in case.

Gazing back down at the group, he couldn't help but smirk at how small they looked from up here. It turned into a grin. "I'd like to see them chase me now!" he mumbled to himself.

But then something caught his eye. A small, white dot had jumped from one of the figures, and where it landed…erupted a ball of flames!

"Nani!" He reeled back in shock. What _was_ that?

Once the blaze vanished, in its wake stood a larger white shape, of which the figure it jumped from climbed aboard. It then leapt into the air, making its ascent up to his location!

It was approaching with incredible speed, getting closer by the second. All he could think of as it became larger was _'Oh, _shit_!'_

Instantly, out returned the kunai, with him dropping into a defensive stance. He didn't have to wait long, either. The shape of the huge creature loomed up to be level with his perch, stopping in mid-air near him.

It was a saber-toothed cat, with reddish-flames licking at its black paws and tail tips! It looked _exactly_ like a larger version of the cat that was sitting on the boomerang-wielder's shoulder… And, sure enough, astride the great beast was the mentioned girl, still with the monstrous weapon strapped to her back.

Then, that meant…that this neko _was_ that kitten!

_'Amazing that it has such an ability…'_ He couldn't help but gaze at the creature in awe for a moment…until he was brought back to the current situation by a throat clearing.

Blue eyes shifted to a pair of chocolate brown orbs. "What?" he blurted roughly, making his annoyance of this ordeal apparent. "You got a bone to pick with me?" He didn't mean to sound so cruel; it was just he was in no mood for such occurrences.

She didn't even flinch, though, like she was used to hearing brazen words. "Look," she began, "we aren't here to cause you harm—"

He scoffed, cutting her off. "That so? Well, _fang-boy_ down there," he indicated the white-haired figure on the forest floor with a jerk of his blond head, "sure didn't seem to think that way."

"Yes, well…" She sighed in frustration, resisting the urge to massage her temples. "Inuyasha's not one for peaceful confrontations…"

"Hmph." Assuming that was the hanyou's name, he mumbled quietly to himself, "You could say _that_ again…" He rolled his eyes before setting her with a calculating gaze. "So, what _do_ you want from me?" He wanted answers, and patience wasn't one of his best qualities.

"Well…" she hesitated, sounding almost reluctant to answer, "…it's about that shard you possess…"

Blonde brows drew together, the defensive stance of his becoming more guarded. "What about it?" An edge of suspicion laced his sentence.

"Have you ever heard of the Shikon no Tama?"

He blinked at the unexpected question. "_"Shikon no Tama"? _…You mean the jewel that was shattered almost a year ago?" He received a nod.

"Yes. And my companions and I believe that your shard is a piece of the jewel."

A blonde brow rose in query. "_Ok…_" His arms dropped from in front of him to cross across his chest, realizing that if the girl had wanted to attack, she easily could have by now, simply with a word to the youkai cat. "So…what exactly does that have to do with me?"

"Well—"

"Hey! Sango!" They both blinked as the girl he now knew to be Sango was cut off by a call. Gazing downward, they were met with the site of…

…a pink bubble? With bulging, comical eyes?

It floated up towards them unsteadily, drops of sweat forming to indicate its strain, until it came to a stop above the feline's head. With a pop and a puff of smoke, in its wake appeared…

He blinked. "…a fox-demon…?" His voice was laced with mild surprise at this bit of information.

An auburn-haired head turned in surprise to look at him with the big, sea-green eyes of a child who appeared to be no older than six, with a puffy tail of wheat fur.

The young boy blinked at him, before awareness seemed to fill his orbs. "Oh, so _you're_ the one who has the jewel shard Kagome senses."

"…Wha…?" Mouth agape, he tilted his head, arms dropping to his sides to add to the dumbfounded expression. "_"Senses…"?_" Ok. Now, he was _really_ confused.

He was about to receive a response to that, when the girl decided to interrupt. "Shippo…" The kit seemed jump, before setting his green eyes behind him. "What exactly are doing up here?"

"Well…" he sighed heavily in mock annoyance, "Inuyasha was starting to get impatient, and since _I'm_ the only other one who can get up here…" Trailing off, the young kitsune shrugged.

"You decided to see what was going on, yourself." Sango finished his sentence with a small, knowing smile.

With a guilty grin, the kit rubbed a hand behind his neck. "Heh heh…you caught me…"

"Look…" Another voice brought the fox and girl's attention back to the current matter at hand. They both turned their gazes back to the—surprisingly, now unarmed—stranger. It appeared they'd momentarily forgotten he was there. "As interesting as this all is," he sounded a little annoyed, "you still haven't said what you want from me."

Sango's face gained a look of realization. "Oh, right! I was just starting to explain before, wasn't I? But perhaps," she gazed downward for a moment, "it'd be better to continue this on the ground."

He blinked at her, and, glancing at the amount of air below them briefly, remembered the great distance up they were. "…Hai…I guess that _would_ be better…" he agreed. He was just about to make a move to descend from the tree when he recalled something else. "Oh, by the way…" A pair of brown orbs faced him again. "I never _did_ catch your name."

Said eyes blinked at him. "Oh… Well, I'm Sango."

"I'm Shippo!" The little kitsune exclaimed enthusiastically from his perch atop the feline's head. "And this is Kirara." He patted the saber-cat who purred slightly in return.

"My name's Kinsha," he answered with a nod. "I'd say it was nice to meet you…" A humor-filled smirk alighted his mouth. "…but it's a little too early to decide that, now isn't it?" he finished with his smirk growing into a grin.

---

So now you know the stranger's name. X) Feels like I could've ended that better, but I couldn't think of anything else... Um, is Sango OOC at all? Seems like it a bit to me. - -; Oh, if you wanna see a pic I drew of Kinsha, check out my deviantart account (link in bio). The pic is called "Kinsha". Real original, nee? XD

**Review Responses**

**Danah: **If it's better than my other stories, then that means I'm improving! Yayness! And that was the plan - leaving you in suspense. XD You'll find out soon. ;)

I'll try not to take as long with the next chappy if I can, 'kers? I can't make any promises, though. -.- But listen to this! I graduated last week! YES! I'M FREEEEEE! Mwahahahaha! XD ...(sweatdrops) Gomen. And I turned 18 last month! X) Which means..gasp! I'm an adult! O.o Doesn't mean I'll act like one, though! XD I don't even feel like one yet! X)

Ok, thas it from me. 'Til next time (whenever that'll be...)!

Peg


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